Saving an Outlook email as a PDF on a Mac should be simple, and sometimes it is. The complication is that “Outlook email” means two different things depending on where the email is sitting. If it is open in Outlook for Mac, you can print to PDF in a few clicks. If someone sent you a saved .msg file, macOS cannot open it at all and printing is not an option.
This guide covers both situations, in order of how often people run into them.
Method 1: Print to PDF from Outlook for Mac
If the email is live in your Outlook for Mac mailbox, macOS handles the conversion natively:
- Open the email in Outlook for Mac.
- Choose File then Print, or press Command and P.
- In the print dialog, click the PDF dropdown in the bottom left corner.
- Select Save as PDF.
- Name the file and choose where to save it.
This takes about fifteen seconds and produces a clean, readable PDF. It is the right method when you have mailbox access and only need a handful of emails.
Two limitations are worth knowing before you rely on it. Attachments are not included, because printing only captures what is displayed on screen. And long email threads sometimes break awkwardly across pages, with quoted replies split mid-sentence. For casual filing this is fine. For anything that becomes a formal record, it is worth checking the output page by page.
Method 2: Print to PDF from Outlook on the Web
If you use Outlook in Safari or Chrome rather than the desktop app, the process is nearly identical. Open the email, use the three-dot menu to select Print, then choose Save as PDF from the browser’s print dialog.
Browser printing tends to add page headers and footers with the URL and date. In the print dialog, open the options or More settings panel and turn off headers and footers before saving. Otherwise every page of your PDF carries a browser URL across the top, which looks unprofessional if you are sending it on to a client or a colleague.
Method 3: Convert a .MSG File to PDF
This is the situation that sends most Mac users searching. A colleague or an opposing counsel sends you a file ending in .msg, you double-click it, and macOS shows you nothing. Apple Mail does not support the format. Preview does not support it. Even Outlook for Mac handles saved .msg files unreliably depending on version.
The reason is that .msg is Microsoft’s proprietary single-email format, written by Outlook on Windows. It packs the headers, the body, the formatting, and the attachments into one binary container that only Outlook was designed to read. Our explainer covers what an MSG file contains and why it behaves this way.
Since you cannot open it, you cannot print it, which rules out Methods 1 and 2 entirely. Converting is the practical path:
- Open the MSG to PDF converter in Safari or Chrome.
- Drag the .msg file into the upload area.
- Wait a few seconds for processing.
- Download the PDF.
Nothing installs on your Mac. Files up to 10MB are supported, you get three free conversions as a guest or ten with a free account, uploads are encrypted in transit, and files are deleted after 24 hours. The converter never asks for access to your inbox, which matters if the email is confidential.
The resulting PDF keeps the sender and recipient addresses, the subject line, the timestamp, and the body formatting, so it reads as an email rather than a wall of stripped text.
Method 4: Batch Convert a Folder of Saved Emails
Mac users often hit this when they inherit an export. A Windows colleague drags a hundred emails out of Outlook, zips them, and sends the folder over. Now you have a hundred files your Mac cannot read, and printing them one at a time is not realistic even if you could open them.
Our bulk converter processes multiple files in a single upload, which requires a free account. This is the standard workflow for anyone handling a records request, an internal investigation, or a legal or eDiscovery production, where receiving parties expect PDFs rather than Outlook files.
What About .EML Files on Mac?
You may also receive files ending in .eml. These come from Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Gmail exports, and most non-Microsoft clients. EML is a plain text standard rather than a proprietary container, and macOS handles it better: double-clicking usually opens it in Apple Mail.
“Usually” is doing some work in that sentence. If Apple Mail is not configured, or the file came from a client that formats its headers unusually, you can get the same blank result as a .msg file. Converting is the reliable route, and our EML to PDF converter handles those files the same way.
Which Method Should You Use?
- Email is in your Outlook mailbox, you need one or two copies: print to PDF. Fastest option, no upload.
- Someone sent you a .msg file: convert it. Printing is not available because the file will not open.
- You have a folder of saved emails: batch convert with an account.
- The PDF needs to hold up as evidence or a formal record: convert rather than print, and check that headers and attachments are intact before you file it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Apple Mail open .msg files?
No. Apple Mail supports EML and MBOX, not Microsoft’s proprietary MSG format. Converting to PDF is the standard workaround.
Does printing an Outlook email to PDF include the attachments?
No. Printing captures only what appears on screen. Attachments must be saved separately, which is one reason conversion is preferred for record keeping.
Do I need Outlook for Mac to convert a .msg file?
No. A browser-based converter reads the file directly, so nothing needs to be installed and no Outlook licence is required.
Will the PDF keep the original email timestamp?
A converted PDF preserves the header information, including the original send date and time, as it was stored in the file.
Getting Outlook Emails Onto a Mac Without the Friction
The pattern is straightforward once you see it. If you can open the email, macOS can print it to PDF for free. If you cannot open it, which is the case with every .msg file, conversion is the only route, and it takes about the same amount of time.
Convert an Outlook .msg file to PDF on your Mac without installing anything.